


I'll be there for you II

by sassenachwaffles



Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/F, F/M, wee bit o' angst, wee bit o' fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2019-08-21 05:21:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16570442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sassenachwaffles/pseuds/sassenachwaffles
Summary: I felt empty inside, hollowed to my core. The events from the past few months running like a never ending movie reel in my mind.He has to be okay, I have to be okay, we all have to be okay.The flashing white lights disappeared as I gave into the black abyss that was trying to swallow me.“Jamie…” I said, or so I thought. “Jamie.”The world went dark.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, it's back! I hope you all enjoy this next installment n this series.

**Jamie (In which John finds out)**

Jamie watched him as John sat across the table and swirled his beer, taking in the news.

“It happened about five weeks ago now, it was an inevitable move.” Jamie took a sip of his pint and raised a brow at John. 

John smiled at him, a devilish grin from ear to ear. “It is about time it happened.” 

“What in the world are ye referring to?” He cocked his head to the side and pursed his lips.

“It means exactly as it sounds, my friend.” John took the final sip of his beer and set his glass down on the table. “I have watched you two dance around each other since you moved in. I also see the way you two look at each other. I am not surprised in the slightest.” 

“It doesna bother ye, then?” 

“Why on earth do you think it would bother me?” John croaked in a thick English accent behind a smile. He never sounded so posh. “All I’ve ever wanted for you is to be happy and Claire is the woman who makes you the happiest.”

“I am… more than happy John.” Jamie grinned through his teeth, he could feel the tips of his ears burning. “I didna want to tell a soul yet, but with the function on Friday night… She wanted ye to know before I came as her date.” 

“I see.” John nodded. “I assume Geillis knows the truth as well?” 

“Aye.” 

“Well, tonight we shall celebrate… Another round?” 

Jamie took the last sip of his pint and raised it, nodding. “Another round it is, then.”

___________________

**Claire & Jenny (In which she learns the truth twice over)**

I struggled to pull the zipper up the side of my garment. I was only just over five weeks along but the bloating was unreal. Luckily, I knew I was still on the petite side so while I felt like a whale, to any other person’s eye I may not look all that different. 

“Claire ye need to hurry. I told Ian I would meet him at home for dinner!” Jenny, one of my good friends and my boyfriend’s sister, called from the other side of the fitting room door. 

“I know it’s just a work function,” I grunted, finishing the last inch on the zipper, “But this dress is not the one.” 

“Come out here and let me decide for ye.” Jenny demanded as she opened the door. 

I stood there taking in my appearance in the mirror. Our eyes met in contact through the mirror and I could see the small hint of a smile in her eyes. I could feel the butterflies start in my stomach and my heartbeat echoing in my ears, somehow she just _knew._

“Why are you looking at me, like that?” I asked, raising my own eyebrows. She was stewing over it and I could tell. 

“Ye dinna think ye can hide it from everyone, Claire.” She took her hand and covered her mouth, shaking her head in amusement. “Ye forget I have been wi’ child before. I ken how a woman’s body can change, how it feels tae have yer body changing.”

“I… You..” I was rendered speechless. How in the bloody hell did she even figure it out so quickly? 

She came up behind me and placed her hands on my hips. “Ye are a petite woman, though taller than me, ye went a bit wider in the hips.” She gave me a light squeeze and then turned me to face her. 

I couldn’t help but laugh, while I was a tall, slender person Jenny was just a few inches shorter than me, her eyes scanning straight down to my bust., 

“And those,” She nodded at the revealing cleavage popping out of the v-neck dress I was trying on, “Are a wee bit bigger than usual.” She winked at me sending the temperature rising in my cheeks.

_“Fuck.”_ I said breathless and shaking my head in defeat. “There’s no point in even trying to hide it from you, is there?” 

She laughed and placed a hand over my still flat abdomen. “It is Jamie’s is it no’?” 

With tears in my eyes, I nodded and smiled down at her, covering my hand over Jenny’s. 

“Welcome to the family, little one.” She whispered, squeezing my hand. “Both of ye.”

___________________

**Claire, Jamie & The Murrays (In which Ian is the one late to the party)**

I sat at the table with my third slice of pie staring me in the face.

“Claire, I havena seen ye eat like this in a long time.” Ian said from the other side of the table as he pushed his plate forward. “Ye ken, it’s been a long time since ye’ve come to the house. Glad to see ye out of the confines of yer apartment or the hospital.” 

“Well, Jamie asked and I was off work. A home cooked meal from Jenny sounded like a brilliant idea and more than appealing.” I shoved a piece of pecan pie in my mouth smearing some of the whip cream onto the corner of my mouth. 

“Sassenach,” Jamie groaned from my left. “Ye have forgotten yer manners, aye?” His hand reached up as he wiped the white fluff from my face with his thumb, sticking it in my face. 

“And you know I am not the meek and obedient type.” I opened my mouth and licked the sweet cream off his thumb, nibbling the soft flesh between my teeth.

“Och!” Jamie complained through a small smile. “Ye surely are no’ one.” 

Remembering we were in a fairly public setting, I blushed and bit the inside of my lip. I had told Jamie the night before that Jenny had pieced it all together- we had yet to tell Ian, though after what he just witnessed I was more than sure he now knew we were together in that more than friends fashion.

My eyes scanned the table as the room was quiet for a moment. Jenny sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, tilting her head to her husband. 

“Oh my god,” Ian smiled grinning from Jenny and then to Jamie. “You two….Finally?” 

Jamie beamed a smile that went from ear to ear, I had almost never seen him smile so hard. He took his hand and placed it on mine entwining our fingers.

“Aye. About a month ago, I didna tell ye sooner… fer I wanted to keep it our little secret.”

“But it seems like the cat is out of the bag now.” I finished for him. 

“It is.” Jamie turned to his head to face me. 

“That’s no’ all yer hiding…” Jenny said in a stern voice. She raised her brow at her brother and Jamie nearly cowered in his seat. 

“Janet.” He gritted through her teeth. “Tis’ no’ yer news to tell.” 

“Jamie…” I tried to stop him but remembered Ian’s words to me once before, one of my first times at Lallybroch. ‘Dinna getting between Frasers when their danders are up.’ 

“It’s no’ the kind of news I can keep from my husband, ye ken?” 

“Jenny.” Ian said reaching for her hand, “They can tell us in their own time when they are ready.” 

I saw both of the Frasers with narrowed eyes and red cheeks. I was not about to get in the middle of another family feud but also was willing to give up our news- if we didn’t tell him now, Jenny would definitely spill it once we left. 

“I’m pregnant.” I said loudly in a thick English accent. “And the baby is Jamie’s, alright? Jenny figured it out when we went shopping for a dress for my event on Friday, I couldn’t lie to her. You’re getting a niece or nephew and that’s that.” This wasn’t how I or we had planned on telling them- but here we were and I wasn’t going to deny it. 

“Blessed Michael and bride!” Ian said, standing from his seat. “Tis’ something to celebrate is it no’?” 

We both turned to each of our Frasers, watching the tension ease from their faces. 

“It is,” I said grabbing Jamie’s knee and giving it a squeeze- he had been so excited over the news and eager like a child on Christmas morning to be able to tell his family. I kept my hand on his knee, drawing aimless circles. “It is.”

“Aye.” Jamie agreed nodding his head. “It is.” 

Jamie turned to me and kissed my forehead, “Thank ye for keeping my head on straight, Sassenach.” 

“It’s what I’m here for.” I muttered, pushing a piece of hair from his forehead. 

“She’s a keeper Jamie,” Ian said, reaching for some whisky. “Dinna let her go, or I’ll kill ye myself!” 

“Dinna fash, Ian… I dinna plan on it.” He pulled my chair closer towards his and took me into his arms. 

It was in that moment, surrounded by friends that had turned into family- and a best friend who had turned into more- my orphan heart had found its home.


	2. Chapter 2

**The One With The Heartbeat**

_“Mhmmmm.” _I sleepily mumbled as I crawled into the bed. Jamie turned in his slumber, reaching for me.__

__“Ye're home late.” His voice with husky with sleep, but I could hear the double meaning in his tone._ _

__“I know, I’m sorry.” My body aligned with his, as it did perfectly without fail. “We had a M &M conference today, Joe and I stayed late to talk to Dr. Murphy…”_ _

__“It’s not just you, anymore Sassenach.” My body felt a rush of cold air as he sat up, sending chills down my spine. I was in no mood to rehash this argument, _again._ “Ye have to think of the bairn…Ye ken I am no’ telling you to stop working, but I am just reminding ye to take it easy on yer feet, take it easy on the hours.”_ _

__“Jamie,” I pleaded. I reached for a pillow and smothered it over my face groaning into it. “I had a long day. It is almost midnight. I have another shift tomorrow. The last thing I want to do is argue, alright.”_ _

__“Let’s go to bed, then.” His voice was soft and almost apologetic. I succumbed to slumber as he closed the distance between us and cradled me like a small infant. It was a night without any dreams._ _

____

____________________________

“How big is the bairn this week?” I watched Geillis take a swig of coffee from the nurses station.

“That dumb app you made me download says baby is about the size of a pea or something similar.” I rounded the desk and sat in a chair next to her. “God, I miss caffeine.”

“I bet ye do.” She took another sip and smirked at me. “Do ye want a small sip?”

“ _Yesssssssss.”_ I reached for her cup and brought the hot contents to my lips. “ _It’s so bloody good.”_

“Ye ken a small amount isna bad for ye….” I darted my eyes at her as she rolled hers. “Yeah, yeah, I ken _ye’re the doctor.”_

“I know some things aren’t bad in moderation. I’m just trying to be healthy through this journey…” I chose another term for my condition for fear of any ears that might be within hearing distance.

“How are things wi’ Jamie?” I could hear the eagerness and inquisitive undertones in her question. I sighed and leaned back into the chair.

 _“Ah.”_ I took a breath recalling how tense things between us had been. It wasn’t that he was not supportive, because he was… It was just different for him to be my boyfriend than just a friend. We’d been arguing over how many hours I was working, over my stress level, over all the food I was eating. I was being micromanaged in ways I was never used to being monitored.

“We’re… Figuring things out.” I released my breath. “The first few weeks we were in that honeymoon phase. It was all new and exciting. And now that suddenly I’m his girlfriend… He feels the need to be overprotective kicks into gear.”

Geillis laughed at that.

“I am not the type of woman who bites her tongue, nor needs to be protected!” I could feel the tips of my ears burning red.

“I ken, but maybe ye should try and see it through his eyes, Claire. I dinna ken why he feels the way he does, but the lad probably does have his reasons. He has always been a man who is fiercely loyal to his friends… I have a hunch he’d be more so over his family.”

“I… It’s…” And saved by the bell, my pager went off. “It’s not that simple.” I stood and rolled my shoulders, working out the kinks in my back.

“When are ye going to tell the rest of the work folk?”

“I’m six and a half weeks, almost seven. Jamie and I are still figuring out, what being together is like…”

She rose from her chair tossing her empty coffee cup into the waste bin. “It sounds like ye are goin’ stall as long as ye can.”

“Probably.” I unlocked my phone and dialed. “We have the first ultrasound today… I’ll call you after, let you know how it goes.”

“I’d like that and dinna fash about Jamie, ye’ll sort it out. Ye always do.”

____________________________

_Date of Birth. Age. Weight. Occupation._

My mind raced a mile a minute as I filled out the paperwork in the OBGYN’s office. Finishing my information, I glanced at the clock on the wall.

_6:18PM._

Dr. Fisher had been more than accommodating when I had called her earlier in the week, asking for an appointment outside of normal clinic hours and after all the nursing staff had gone home.

She poked her head from behind the door, smiling at me. “I know ye had a long day and no rush on the paperwork… I’ll just be in my office next door. Come get me when ye are finished and we will start.”

“Alright.” I said dryly. Unlocking my phone, I pulled up the last text I had sent to Jamie.

_Appointment is at 6:15. Office is on the third floor of the main building, office 305. Office lights will be off, come on in anyway. Through the set of blue doors and you’ll see the lights on where we are at. See you soon._

He had quickly liked my comment and replied hastily. _Will be there._

My stomach dropped as 6:18 quickly turned to 6:24 and I finished signing my name on the last release. I walked to her office, knocking on the door and placing the packet on her desk.

“Are we going to wait on the father?” Dr. Fisher asked as she guided me back into the exam room.

“I… Uh….” I swallowed. “He kne-”

“Excuse me.” A familiar Scottish voice spoke as a knock accompanied. “I’m verra sorry I was late, my phone died on the train and I couldna find the right room.”

Though we had been stressed the last week, tears filled my eyes, he hadn’t wanted to miss this.

I wiped a tear as I climbed up onto the exam table. His eyes met mine and I could see the line of sweat across his forehead.

“Sassenach.” He whispered coming to my side. “I wouldna have missed this for the world, ye have to know.”

I took his hand and gave it a hard squeeze. _I know,_ it relayed to him.

“Dr. Beauchamp,” Dr. Fisher prompted as she turned on the monitor. “Take off yer scrub bottom off. There’s a sheet to keep ye covered over there. I’ll give ye a minute.” 

She left us then and Jamie’s hands found the drawstrings on my pants.

“Can I undo them?” His voice was meek, but I could see the eagerness and excitement in his eyes. Though he still looked like a petulant child who had eaten a cookie before dinner time, he also looked like a man. A man that was ready to move heaven and earth to make sure me and his child were alright. It send chills down my spine- maybe this is why he was being so overprotective- he had already done his part and now it was really all up to me.

“Yes.” I nodded, helping him shimmy them off my thighs; my undergarments followed. “Toss them on the chair and hand me the sheet.”

“Aye.” He hitched his voice for a moment and then shook his head at me.

“Say it.” I commanded. It wasn’t a question, I knew he wouldn’t have missed this but with the guilt still written on his face I knew he would feel better once he admitted it to me.

“Ye ken, I really wouldna have missed this, right? I triedta call, but my phone died…”

I reached across my torso and slipped my fingers through belt loops of his jeans.

“Come here.” I tilted my head up and gave him my kiss me look. He more than willingly obliged.

“We’ve been on edge recently, but I know,” I rested my forehead against his searching his eyes. “You wouldn’t miss this.”

He let out a small snort and I felt him take the folded sheet from my hands and the coolness of his touch as he hands found their way to my waist band. “Let’s get ye decent for the doc then, aye?”

We stayed like that for a few moments, breathing each other’s air, just being in each other’s orbit for the first time in days when the knock came on the door.

“Ye ready?” Dr. Fisher asked.

“Aye.” Jamie gleamed.

It was quiet for a few moments save for the crinkle of some paper, the whoosh of the gel as the doctor squirt it onto my lower abdomen, and the machine making noises.

I felt the probe on my stomach moving left to right, and then it hit just the right spot.

_Lub dub. Lub dub. Lub dub._

“Sassenach,” Jamie whispered as he registered what that sound was, “We made that.”

With tears in my eyes I looked up to his face. “We sure did.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The One with The Genetic Testing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, it's back! Sorry it has taken me half a century to get another chapter out, but our favorite roommates are back! I hope this chapter has been worth the wait.

**The One with the Genetic Testing**

I was quiet as I entered the apartment. 

My feet were sore, my eyelids were so heavy I thought I was going to fall asleep standing upright, and by some audacious miracle I had a major headache to top it all off. 

I was a literal, walking, hot mess. The night shift rotations were going to be the death of me. 

“Ye’re home a little earlier than I thought ye’d be.” Jamie’s voice was soft and welcoming as I sank into the couch opposite from where he sat. 

“It was a light night. A few admits, a few stitches, one trauma…” I answered bringing my feet up underneath me. 

_“C’mere.”_ He said in that one tone of his Highland lilt that was reserved just for me. 

Jamie reached across the couch and brought my feet onto his lap. I saw the tips of his ears flash red and a devilish grin spread across his face.

“If you are about to rub my feet,” I nearly groaned in eager anticipation, “Then I am going to love you more than I did before I left for work last night.” 

He snorted at that and moved to the balls of my feet. “Ye say that every time I massage yer feet.”

I laughed as I undid the bun on top of my head, letting my three day unwashed hair down. 

“You try growing a human and being on your feet all night. It is _bloody_ hard work!” 

He let out a Scottish grunt of amusement and continued to rub the tender soles of my feet. 

Lost in the healing powers of his touch, all the fears and worries about becoming a mother started to fade away. For a split second, I could see it- us in a house, the Highland hills rolling in the background with a Flash of the Fraser red hair from a small child. I could see a future I had almost never thought I’d have.

After a few silent moments with nothing said between us, I opened my eyes and saw a pensive look on Jamie’s face as he studied me. 

Finally he spoke with nothing but utter confidence, “Ye’ll be great, Claire.” 

He seldom used my name and whenever Jamie did call me- _Claire_ \- it was always something he meant to the marrow of his bones.

Feeling suddenly and overwhelmingly that some of my deepest insecurities had been exposed, I tucked my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs.

He started at me for a moment and traced the outline of my face, _“Mo Chridhe.”_

“Wot?” My voice was clipped, properly British. 

Before we were together I knew Jamie was a man who was very in tune with his emotions, as well as those people he was close to. 

Jamie Fraser knew me- knew what made me tick, how I thought, how I processed emotions, and why I made the decisions that I did. 

I had been, somewhat, aware of just how in tune he was, but it wasn’t until we were romantically involved where I became accustomed to the fact he was _hyper_ aware of just how well he knew me. 

He knew me, my mind, and more so, he knew my soul. There were things in this world where my rational and scientific mind couldn’t process or find the words, yet he was there, and he could always find a way to say what was in his heart. 

I’d be inclined to say Jamie Fraser knew me better than I knew myself. 

He saw right through me. He saw right through the veneer of confidence I had been trying to keep afloat since I found out we were having a child. His unwavering support and faith in me made me feel cherished and safe…. Like we _could_ do this.

“How did you know?” I put a small smile on in my best effort to hide my fear.

If I were to be honest with myself, I had never truly envisioned myself being a mother. My own parents had died when I was merely in grade school. I had been shipped off to live with my mother’s brother- Uncle Lamb. He traveled the world as an archaeologist, and when a child had been bestowed upon him, he had decided to bring me along. Uncle Lamb homeschooled me through all our adventures. We spent summers in Egypt, took hikes through Greece’s ancient ruins, went backpacking through remote parts of Central America, and spent weekends in Paris while he was at a conferences. 

It was because of Uncle Lamb I had seen the ends of the world and all it had to offered. I had seen the wealthy, the poor, the healthy, and the sick. I had learned at a young age that I had been given a gift- a gift of healing- and had set my determined, stubborn mind, to put my gift to use. 

Uncle Lamb was all I had really ever had in the world, and just as my parents had left me, so did he- passing away when I was eighteen. To honor his memory and the experiences he had given me, I had set out to go to medical school, score the best residency, and become a world-renowned physician. It would be me and my medicine- me and myself. The mere idea of motherhood scared the living daylights out of me. I wasn’t going to be a mother- that just was not in the cards for Claire Beauchamp. 

That had been my plan, until Jamie Fraser moved in.

Jamie had changed and challenged _everything_ I thought I had wanted for myself. He was the hope for the things I had given up on, he was the second chance I never knew I wanted.

When I looked into his ocean-blue eyes, I saw a future rooted in a firm foundation. A permanence in a life that I felt like I didn’t deserve, but by the grace of some deity above, I had been granted. 

“The line of yer brows, Sassenach. When ye get worried, it creases.”

I rolled my eyes and stuck my legs back out onto his lap. “No fair. I have tells and you don’t. My damn glass face.”

“It’s one of the verra many things I adore about ye, Sassenach… But,” He took a breath and I felt his hands work their way to massaging my feet again, “Ye must ken it, right? Ye’ll be a good mam… What ye don’t ken, ye’ll learn… And we’ll learn it together, aye?” 

_“Aye.”_ I took my right foot and prodded him in the stomach. 

“I am being honest, I give ye my word. Ye remind me of Jenny when she first had her bairn. She was worried about it all- having the bairn, raising it, the whole lot. But she’s a verra fine mother, Claire.” Jamie took my leg and raised it to his face, kissing the back of my calf. “There’s nay soul I’d want to be the mother of my children, other than you.”

I held my breath for a moment, hanging onto his words. 

“Children?” I stammered, “As in plural?” 

“Yes,” He laughed. His hands moving their way up my legs in a circular motion. “I’d love to field a whole rugby team. A dozen or so.” 

“Twelve children, then?” If he had said this to me two years ago, I would have run for the hills, scared out of my mind, but now….I was more than willing to try and field a Fraser Rugby Team if he asked me to.

“If ye’re willing….” 

“As long as you’re by my side.” 

We finished our sentences at the same time. I swung my legs back under me and twisted myself so my head rested on his chest.

“I do love you, you know.” 

“I ken..” He kissed my temple. “I also ken there is something else bothering ye.”

“Yes…” My voice was quiet and I felt mildly embarrassed. “You know your family. Your mom, your dad, grandparents, sister…..” 

“Yes.” His voice encouraged me to go on.

“And you know what your gene pool is like, for the most part. My parents died young, Uncle Lamb only told me so much before he died, and I am basically the last line of the Beauchamps as far as I know.” 

“And?” 

“It got me thinking….I was hoping you would be okay with the option of getting some genetic testing done on the baby? It’s minimally invasive. Of course there are risks, as there are with any medical procedure, but it is done all the time these days” 

I felt his body stiffen in response.

“It’s not that I think anything is wrong, I don’t, but rationally, scientifically…. But I want to know. I just want to make sure our child is healthy. I know you might not be inclined to do it, religious reasons and just pure faith in our baby being okay… But I’d like to know, and I wanted to ask you. I want you to be there.” 

I heard him swallow and let out his breath. A moment passed and then another. “Ye ken, Sassenach… I dinna think it necessary, our bairn will be healthy.” 

I could hear the lingering but in his tone. 

“Yet, I also ken ye will fret over this for months if ye dinna do it and I understand why ye want to do it. Tell me when and where…. Wherever ye need me, I’ll show up.” 

It was in that moment I loved him wildly, maddly, and deeper than ever before. There was no man who would ever compare to Jamie Fraser in my world. 

“I will,” I kissed the base of his jaw, “Right now just hold me… Everything else can wait.”


	4. The One Where Nothing Fits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I *know* I’ve been slow at cranking anything fanfic out for quite some time. But this chapter has had so much encouragement and patience from so many different people I don’t even know where to begin to say thank you. So to anyone who has read, liked, commented, sent me an ask, or given kudos over on AO3, this is for you. I hope it was worth the wait.

**The One Where Nothing Fits**

**_Jamie_ **

He could smell the coffee pot as it finished making the liquid gold on which he’d been running non-stop on the past few weeks. He cracked an egg gently on the side of a ceramic bowl, tossing the yolk and other contents into the rest of the batch. He added some salt and pepper, a dash of milk, and garlic powder before he started to beat the eggs.

As he turned to the stove, he heard a voice in the distance portraying nothing but vehemence at the inanimate furniture in his, _no their_ (he corrected himself), bedroom.

“Sassenach?” He bellowed turning the heat down on the pan before emptying the scrambled mess onto the hot surface.

He waited a second and didn’t hear a response, so he turned his attention to making two cups of coffee. A few moments later another, _“FUCK”_ rattled through the walls.

“Christ, Claire.” He picked at the eggs turning the heat down once more and then wiped his hands on a kitchen towel. What is it this time? He thought to himself.

Slowly he walked to their bedroom to find his girlfriend sitting on the edge of their bed with nearly every pair of pants she owned tossed about the room.

“What is it?” Jamie opened the door a bit more, leaning against the doorframe.

_“Nothing.”_ She grumbled, undoing the bun in her hair.

“Tis obviously something,” He cracked a smile at her walking towards her vicinity. “Ye look like ye had a runway show in here for one.”

Rolling her eyes, she leaned her forehead into his abdomen- her hands, fingers slowing curling into fists subconsciously searching for his pockets.

“My pants… _They don’t bloody fit.”_

He let out a small breath and ran his hands down her back. _“Sassenach…”_

“I’m a human incubator. I’m growing a life. I shouldn’t be upset about my breeches not fitting, _but I’ll be damned.”_ He couldn’t pinpoint her tone, she was slightly sad, somewhat upset, and seemingly utterly confused.

He tilted her face up towards his, kissing the tip of her nose. “I’m a man, Claire… I ken I am no’ nowhere near a what ye’d call a doctor, but I do ken that as ye grow a child ye can expect yer belly to get bigger and yer body to change. Correct me if I am wrong.”

That earned him a half-assed laugh. He watched as she let the air out of her lungs, the tension leaving her body. 

“Yes…. You are correct. I mean, I’m a doctor. I should know this.” He saw her cheeks flash red, “I think the hormones are getting the best of me.”

Jamie sat down next to her on the edge of the bed.

“Ye already were a petite woman, mo chridhe.” Gingerly he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her head to rest on his shoulder. “But you are growing a human, yer body is swelling with a life, Sassenach.... That just means there is going to be more of ye to love on.”

“Are you telling me that I am getting fat, you bloody Scot?”

“Dinna be twisting my words, Sassenach. Ye ken what I meant.” He kissed the top of her head. “After breakfast why don’t we go shopping, get ye some pants that fit, aye? Ye ken I have always loved yer round arse and now it’s just going to be a bit more plump.”

She rolled her eyes a at him and smiled, “You have always been a fan of my arse, let’s go eat.”

“Aye, c’mon. Ye dinna even have to wear any pants.”

_______________________

**  
_Claire_  
**

“Claire!” I heard my name called from around the corner. Peeking my head in that direction I saw a bright flash of red hair. “Do ye wanna go get dinner?”

“Oh bugger.” I put my pen back into my lab coat. “I would but I have to dictate these two charts and I promised Jamie we’d have some time tonight just the two of us. You’re still coming over for game night tomorrow, aren’t you?”

“Aye, I’ll be there. I just havena seen ye in a while but I’ll take a rain check for a girl’s night next week?”

“I promise… Let me check my calendar as I have a benefit dinner for the hospital next week and another doctors appointment, but I’ll text you when I get home and confirm.”

“I’ll hold ye to that, I know where ye live!”

Just as fast as she had appeared, she had gone. The next hour I spent dictating the rest of my patients I had admitted for the day and turned over the pager to the doctor who was on the night shift rotation.

In the locker room, I changed into my leggings and oversized sweatshirt I had stolen from Jamie and tossed my rain jacket over my shoulders. Pulling out my phone, my fingers tapped the screen: _‘Leaving the hospital now. Will be home in fifteen minutes.’_

He texted back immediately: _‘Sounds good, see you soon. Walk safe.’_

Tucking my phone into my backpack, I started the quick walk home. Though winter was ending, there still a brisk, crispness in the air. I could feel the last remnants of sunlight fading as the wind started to pick up, my cheeks turning slightly flushed and my nose rosy.

Opening the door I was flooded by the scent of my favorite candle and found Jamie sitting on the couch, a whisky in his hand and a steaming cup of tea waiting for me.

_“Oh my god,”_ I groaned slipping my backpack off and placing it in on the floor of the entryway. “You’re the best damn person to come home to.”

“I missed ye too.” Jamie welcomed me warmly rising to his feet. I took off my sneakers, stacking them onto the shoe rack in the coat clast. His hands found my waist as I turned to face him, “Have a good day?”

I kissed him slowly, welcoming him in return. As he pulled away, I pecked him once more. “It was a long day. Nothing out of the ordinary, a few admits from the A&E and a few orthro patients needing monitoring on pain meds and checking on another in the CVICU.”

“Ye always lose me with some of the acronyms that ye use at the hospital.” He shook his head at me gesturing to the couch, “Sit, let me rub yer feet.”

“Go, sit. I have to get one thing out of my bag and then I will join you.” He turned making himself comfortable once more. I reached into the front zipper and pulled the manila envelope out of the slot and then joined Jamie on the couch.

As I as sank into the cushions, I positioned myself so my legs were draped across Jamie’s lap. His large hands started to run in circular motions along the soles of my feet.

_“CVICU…”_ I half managed to stutter in my daze of relaxation, “Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit.”

“Ah, sounds like it’s a matter of the heart then.”

“Yes.” I took one foot and poked him with my big toe, “Don’t be a smart ass, you certainly are a Scot but you’re not as daft as you try and pretend to be.”

He gave his best attempt at a wink and kissed the back of my calf. “What’s that ye got in the folder? Ye’re clutching it like it’s a matter of life or death.”

“Oh, yes!” I started to undo the metal prongs on the folder. “Remember the genetic testing I wanted to get done?”

_“Aye.”_ I could hear the short curtness in his tone. “Have ye looked it over then?”

I pulled my legs from his lap and swung my body around so that my head was now in his lap. “No. The office left it for me in my mailbox. I saw it on my rounds this morning,but wanted to wait to open it with you. The damn thing has been burning in the back of my mind all day.”

“Let’s see to it, then.” His body stiffened in response. I took one hand reaching up and cupped his jaw.

"I’m not worried, I was before we did the tests… But now, you know… I’m ready for whatever these results show. IF there’s something wrong, I bloody know that I’d rather face it with you rather than anyone else.” I played with the stubble on his jawline. “I was scared before. _This_ wasn’t planned..”

“Ye mean whatever it is between us?” I saw the film of tears rim his eyes.

“Yes, whatever it is between us. It just kind of happened.” I then felt his hand rest on the small swell of my lower abdomen.

_“And that happened.”_ He nearly whispered down at me.

“Exactly. I was scared. I’ve been scared since I peed on that stick.. But after we got the tests run and while we were waiting, it all became crystal clear. It didn’t matter, none of it mattered. So long as whatever we face, we face together… I knew we’d make it through. I wasn’t scared anymore, I was ready for the unknown.”

A single tear escaped down his face. He bent over placing a soft, sweet kiss to my stomach. 

“There’s more, aye?” The edge in his voice was gone, replaced with excitement.

“Yes, there are the results of the genetic testing, but it also tells us the gender. I figured we could read it all together.”

He laughed as he took the folder from my hand. “Do we wantae find out?”

“I would like to,” I answered honestly, “But if you want to wait, I am happy to do that for you.”

“I dinna want to wait.” He said quickly, pulling the papers out of the folder. He was quiet for a minute. I continued to lay my head on his lap, watching him inquisitively.

Those few moments he was quiet felt like a lifetime, but then a smile crept on the corners of his mouth.

“I dinna ken what most of this means…” He gave me the papers then, “But I can read some science and know what an XX chromosome would mean.”

It was my turn to start to cry then, “A girl, huh?”

“A little lassie, _mo chridhe._ ” He pulled me up into lap and cradled me like a small infant in his own arms, the rest of the results falling from my hands and scattering onto the floor.

I didn’t read the rest of the results but succumbed to his hold on me, having all the faith in the world that we were exactly where we were meant to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank YOU for reading!


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